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Day 2 filming for Nudism.TV
Today I did a segment about gender + sexuality with my mom. I’m glad she was there to ask some questions and give her perspective. After that segment, I did a quick how-to on self portraiture including a demonstration. 😊
My sister Gemini filmed a segment on floral design for bouquets and a segment on creating flower crowns, with me + mommy there to ask questions. Afterward Gemini and I did a segment on consent + negotiations for a rope bondage session.
It was a full day and lots of fun! Now I’m ready to relaxxxxx and do nothing.
Watch our livestreamed interviews from yesterday on Nudism.TV‘s YouTube channel by clicking here!
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Why Self Portraits Are Important To Me
Click here to watch this video in another window.
CAPTION FOR THE VIDEO ABOVE:
Hi friends! I thought that since I have the self portrait workshop coming up at The Light Factory on October 23rd here in Charlotte, in person. So this will be my first in-person Workshop in a few years, I’m very excited! But since I have that coming up, I wanted to talk about self portraits and why I take them and why they’re important to me.
So to give you a little back story, if you’re new. Wow, these mosquitoes are coming after me right now. If you’re new here, I’ve been taking self-portraits since 2010, maybe a little bit before. Actually, definitely before since I got a camera when I was 16, so that was in what? 2006? 2007? 2006… 2006. So even though I was probably taking naked self portraits before I was 18 that I will not share because I was underage and that’s really creepy for other people to see.
Self portraits have been really important to me. At first, when I was younger, when I first started taking photos at first, it was just, I was the easiest subject to find for my photos. I didn’t have to have another person with me to take photos of them. I could just take photos of me to practice and learn my camera. But as time went on, I learned that I somehow felt more connected to myself when I took self portraits. I feel like I could learn more about myself and experience my emotions in a deeper way through self portraiture.
And I think that’s because a lot of times when I’m feeling something and experiencing something I don’t have a mirror or camera in front of me, so it’s all kind of abstract like in my head and in my mind and in my body with like the way that I was feeling… but once I started taking self-portraits, the way that I felt became something that I could see and seeing it helped me experience it more.
I don’t know if you have heard of aphantasia, but I have aphantasia, which is where you don’t have a Mind’s Eye. So I can imagine things, but I can’t see anything when I’m thinking about it. Like I can’t see anything in my head, I can’t visualize. I can like, remember what things are like, because I’ve seen them before and I like, remember it, but I don’t actually see anything in my head. I can’t like, oh, I’m going to imagine a unicorn with rainbow hair and sparkles and it’s going to be prancing across on a rainbow.
Like, I can think about those things, but I can’t see them in my head. And it took me a while to realize that that’s not a normal thing… or well, okay, maybe I don’t want to say that. It took me a while to realize that people could actually see things in their head and I couldn’t. Self portraiture, since I don’t visualize self portraiture helps me actually like make the things that I think about or the ways that I feel more tangible and more real, because I can see them because a lot of times things don’t quite feel real if I’m just thinking about them. But once it’s something that’s visible and tangible than it becomes a lot more real to me.
And I, I got into a much deeper relationship with myself through self portraiture when I was on my cross country road trip in 2019. I was going through a lot like, personally, emotionally, romantically. Yeah, mentally, like life things were pretty wild. That was during my Saturn return. If you’re into astrology, at all, you know that a Saturn Return usually like turns your life upside down, or it can.. and it definitely turned mine upside down. So, I was processing a lot of feelings and a lot of like, Unknown. And I was able to process in a much deeper way because I took so many self portraits on that road trip.
And I learned so much about myself. I mean, if you’ve been around since then, you know that I realized I was non binary like right after I came home from that trip. It really helped me get to know myself and understand myself on a deeper level, through actually being in my body and allowing myself to feel all my feelings while I was taking self portraits and then looking through them later, realizing oh wow, I’m a real person, I have real feelings, and I can see that, and I can like experience that all over again when I look at the photos. So self portraits mean a lot to me. They have allowed me to connect to myself in a deeper way than I ever have been able to before.
And I took a bunch of self-portraits either at the end of 2020 or early 2021 that I haven’t gone through yet, that I’ve talked about already, that I have a members only like webinar hangout thing where we’re gonna go through them together. I’ve already scheduled it, you’ll get a post about it when it’s coming up, I have like notifications that I’ll come onto the website to remind you like hey, this is happening soon! So that’ll be in like mid-November (the 18th at 6pm EST!).
But those self portraits took that we’ll be looking through are really emotional and really personal to me and I’m feeling emotional thinking about them. Yeah, I really let myself feel all of my feelings when I was taking those photos and it was kind of scary and it was definitely vulnerable and I’m kind of nervous to share them with you, especially in their raw form where I haven’t done anything to them and can see all of them. But I’m also kind of excited, because I don’t really want to hide myself from y’all, like you’re supporting me so much by being here, so the least I can do is not hide myself from you.
So, I hope you join me in November (the 18th at 6pm EST!) when we go through those photos together because it’s going to be scary, but it’s gonna be awesome! They’re pretty dark, and I definitely cried when I was taking them, and yeah, it’s gonna be a lot but it’s going to be great.
To give you a little tiny bit more information about them before I end this video. I took them in my sister’s house after she moved out, and it was empty, before she sold it. And that’s where I was living when a lot of not-so-great things happened to me, and I had some not so great experiences there, so it was like my Releasing that house and the feelings that I felt in that house through feeling my feelings and taking self portraits in the house once it was empty. So it was a great release for me. And yeah, I’m laughing because I’m like trying to hold back tears.
Yeah, so I feel like self portraits are really important for me personally, in order to more fully embody how I feel and to more fully experience my life through creating them. So I hope you have enjoyed this video of me being kind of emotional and talking about self portraits. Yeah.
I think that’s all I have to say right now. I really appreciate that you’re here. It means the world to me. I couldn’t do any of this without you, so I appreciate you and I hope you enjoy what I share. I love you!
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Online events + tattoo update!
Click here to watch video in another window
CAPTION FOR THE VIDEO ABOVE:
Hi friends! So I have some updates for you and I’m going to try to not make it too long because I have a tendency to make these videos kind of long when I don’t really mean to. So, here we go.
I have decided that the virtual nude gatherings… the one that’s coming up on October 9th, which is the next one that is scheduled, will be the last one for this year. I have been facilitating online events, between 1 and 3 every month for more than a year and a half now, and I am starting to feel burnt out on them. So in order to make sure that I am providing a good experience, I don’t want to do something that I feel burnt out on. So I’m doing this one in October and that will be the last one for this year.
I probably will continue doing these virtual nude gatherings in the future, I just don’t have them on the schedule. I’m not sure when I will start the backup again. I have super enjoyed doing them and I’m really looking forward to hanging out with y’all naked one more time before I take a break, but I very much need a break.
I am finding myself avoiding being on the computer a lot and like really having no motivation to do computer things, which is telling me that I need a break, so that’s something new. So if you haven’t come to a nude gathering yet, and you really wanted to, you have one more chance, which will be Saturday, October 9th at 1 p.m. Eastern time. So it’s like, North Carolina/New York City time, East Coast time. And that’s gonna be the last one for this year. I don’t know when I’m gonna do them again. It’s been super fun, but I need a break very badly.
I just got more tattoo done day before yesterday. So I’m in process of healing that. What’s new? And I do want to do a members-only event, maybe in November, when I know I just said that I’m getting burnt out on online events, but this is something that I haven’t done before and I’m kind of curious to see how it will go.
I mentioned the last Vlog that I did that I was thinking about doing an event online where you like, went through photos with me and helped me pick out favorites. So that sounds fun, and I will like, kind of do two things at once. Y’all get hang out and I get to hang out with you, and I finally get to go through these pictures that I’ve been avoiding because there’s a lot of them, so we get to do it together and I’ll be like, encouragement for me to do it, and also, y’all get like the first look at things that I haven’t shared with anybody yet. So, I’m excited for that. Right now I’m looking at Thursday, November 18th, maybe in the eventing like 6 p.m. Eastern just, you know, because I know a lot of people still work 9-5s during the week. So let me know if that works for you. Hopefully it does. I can’t really find any other days that would work well for my schedule.
So I’m excited for that. Let’s do that. I know I just said I’m not doing online events, but I really like I don’t know how else to do these kinds of things and I do still want to have times where we can hang out together. For this one, I think it’s going to be more like a webinar. So what that means is instead of it being like a meeting where we’re all having video and talking on the screen at one time. It’s going to be more like, I will be the one talking and being on the screen and y’all can communicate through the chat. That’s less overwhelming for me. And I feel like we’ll be able to actually get through more of the photos together if it’s that way, so that’s what I’m considering, so we can still communicate and hang out, it just will not be like face-to-face will be more like… Me with the screen on with all the photos and y’all like type in the chat to et me know how you like them. If that sounds good, let me know if it sounds not good, let me know. I would really love your feedback. I am just trying to do things in a way that is sustainable for me and doing a monthly face-to-face big group things is not sustainable for me right now, on the computer.
I really would love to start doing things in person again, I’m not sure if I’m ready for that and especially with it starting to get cold. Like, it’s not really that cold yet, but in the coming months its going to start getting colder. In person is not really available because I’d much rather do it outside because of covid. So maybe I can consider something outside in the spring in person.
I still have a dream of doing like an artist retreat where I get like this big airbnb and we all come together and like hang out in the same space for like a long weekend and create art together and hang out and eat yummy food and have cuddle piles and just like hang out naked and have a lot of fun. So that’s definitely on my goals list for the future. I don’t know when, again… Yeah, I have a lot of things like rolling around in my head and I’m just trying to figure out a way that I can still be present with y’all that is sustainable for me. Because I’m feeling myself getting more and more burnt out by being on the computer and being online and being on social media and doing all things.
It just makes me want to avoid all of it all together. And I really don’t want to do that because I don’t want to just like abandon y’all because y’all are literally the reason that I’m able to do any of this in the first place, so I want to put y’all as the priority because you are the priority for me. I would much rather do stuff for y’all them like social media. Yeah, that’s where I’m at right now.
If yall have anything that you are curious about or have suggestions or feedback or requests for I would love to hear it. Yeah, I don’t want to make this too long. It’s already 7 minutes long. So I think I’m gonna pause for now. Yeah. I love you so much. I’m really trying to shift things in a way that works for me and is still something that y’all would enjoy and I’m kind of at the moment struggling to find what that is because computers are draining. And I just want to be like roaming around in the woods, so finding a happy medium is the hard part, but uh… oh.
I’m going to show you my new tattoo. It’s well, the colored in part of my tattoo. The video is going to move, just to give you a heads-up, I’m gonna pick my phone up, so I can show you my leg. And so if you’re like, get really dizzy or something by movement of the video, this is your warning.
So, you know, I have my whole leg, well, most of my body… we just finished. Oh gosh – can I see? We just finished the hawk. I still have a saniderm on it. We did this, leave these leaves, these leaves and these flowers and leaves are all new and fresh. Now I I have one of my birds is colored in. Yay. I have a hawk. So yeah the saniderm is going to be on for a few more days and then it will be mostly healed and then I get to like wash it twice a day and put a bunch of lotion on it for a while. But yeah, I’ve been icing it so my leg’s kind of cold. Yay.
Putting this down on my computer I pressed something and now my computer’s like, what did you do? Okay, so this is long enough. I just want to give you like an update on what’s going on. Yeah. I love you so much. Thank you for being here. Yeah, I’m gonna…
I’m going to just go ahead and schedule this members only let’s go through photos together. I’ll make a post about it. You don’t have to sign up on Eventbrite. What I’m going to do is *burp* Excuse me. What I’m going to do is, make the zoom link and put it in the blog post so that you have it. And I’ll repost it for like maybe the week before and then like the day before and the day of the event. So you have a heads up. Okay. I love you! Thank you! *MWAH*
November first look at self portraits webinar info for members only:
Thursday Nov 18, 2021 06:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Webinar style, so it’ll be me screen sharing the photos + y’all can use the chat to let me know your thoughts!
I have several photosets to go through so we’ll start with one + see how far we can get in an hour.
Passcode: 534771
Have questions? Comment below or email me at bunnyluna@pm.me ❤
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Ecosexual Time Capsule ❤ self portrait edition part 2
I have so many self portraits from my cross country road trip that I felt like I needed to make a whole post just for some of my faves from that trip ❤ Massive photo post!!
2019 in Colorado
2019 in Utah
2019 in Nevada
In this last image someone was driving up + I looked at the camera right before I scrambled to grab my stuff…
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Ecosexual Time Capsule ❤ self portrait edition
2016 in North Carolina, some of the first photos I took for my site back in the day
2017 in Tampa Florida, the back yard of my airbnb, I was in Florida to take maternity photos for a friend
2018 in North Carolina, during my first ever solo road trip! All I did was hike + take self portraits
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Queer Nature + EXCITING NEWS!
Click here to watch video in another window
CAPTION FOR THE VIDEO ABOVE:
Hi! It’s actually been quite a while since I made a vlog for you, so I thought I’d come and say hi! It’s starting to rain a little bit, so hopefully it won’t get too much rain, but I have some exciting potential things that will be happening at the end of October that I will probably tell you more about later, but I want to give you a heads-up that like things are happening and I’m excited! So vague, right?
But something I can tell you about is I made a little PowerPoint PDF thing. It’s actually maybe not that little, it’s like 23 pages, but it’s all about how queer nature is. It’s kind of like a mini book report on this book that I read that blew my mind in the best way! Yeah, I wanted to share this PDF with y’all and see what you think. I’m also considering maybe doing like a like mini webinar where I just like infodump about queer nature. If you’re interested in that, please let me know because I have been thinking about maybe doing that because I think it’d be fun and if you want to be live with me while I infodump about queer nature, then let me know and we can do that!
I do want to tell you more about October. So I know one of them is for sure definitely happening, so I’m going to tell you about that one, but there’s another thing that’s happening at the end of October that’s like, most likely going to happen, but I don’t want to jinx it, so I’m going to wait to tell you that.
So the one that I know is happening is there is this photography space in Charlotte called The Light Factory. They do gallery exhibitions, they do photography classes, they do workshops, all kinds of stuff, they do photo walks for the community where they just like, walk around Charlotte (and I’m getting bit by mosquitos). This is where they walk around Charlotte and do photography stuff, it’s pretty cool. They reached out to me to teach a self portrait workshop!!!!
I remember, I was a teenager, dreaming of having art in the gallery there at The Light Factory. And I did, I was part of one of their group member shows way back in the day. Where basically anybody that wanted to share their art could put it in the member show, so it wasn’t like this juried fancy thing or anything, but that felt really cool and I was like in high school or college or something so it was several years ago.
The Light Factory reached out to me!!! Probably because I have a couple friends who teach there already, so thank you friends!! They put in a good word for me! So The Light Factory is like “Hey Bunny do you want to teach a self portrait workshop?” and I’m like “hell yes I do!!!” So at the end of October… October 23rd? 24th? 23rd. I think it’s the 23rd, I will be teaching a workshop about self portraiture with them. I’m really excited. We’re going to do it outside at a park because I don’t want to do anything inside, because of lots of reasons, like covid is probably number 1 reason I don’t want to do stuff inside, and 2 because I just feel like self portraits are so much better in nature, you know me! So yeah, we’re gonna go to a park and I’m gonna teach a self portrait workshop and I’m really excited.
So it’s like a big opportunity for me and I just feel super special that they reached out to me. Like wow… also maybe I should start actually applying to things because that would help me do more cool fun stuff like the self portrait workshop. Yeah, so I’m really excited. And yeah, originally we were going to do a full day workshop, but they are unable to pay my rate, so we’re going to do a short 2 hour workshop, because that is more aligned with what I’m able to provide based on what they’re able to pay me, because I really do want to create a relationship with The Light Factory. So I think even though I’m not getting paid at my full rate for this workshop, I think it’s a good opportunity for me to meet other artists in Charlotte get my foot in the door with The Light Factory, be able to put The Light Factory on my resume. Yeah, mostly I’m just excited to meet the other creative people.
Sorry, like fly… Something’s flying around me! I totally forgot what I was saying. Yeah, so I’m really excited and I’m excited to share that with you, and I’m going to be sharing the link to the PDF for the queer nature below. You can download it if you want, I’m just going to share with you. But yeah, let me know if you want to do like a little webinar about queer nature because I’m obsessed, and yeah, I mean if you have been around for any amount of time, then you know that I love nature and queer nature is like the best way to affirm my queerness because like it’s super natural! Well, not Supernatural but it’s super space natural. It is very natural. Okay, I’m getting kind of goofy now.
I’m gonna go hang out with my sister later today, meet her new doggy! And yeah, I think that’s all I have to share. So, yeah, thank you so much for being here. I love you so much.
I have honestly been kind of struggling with what I want to share on my website now, since I’m not taking as many photos as I used to, but I also really want to start doing more educational kind of things and I just have to make up my mind and actually do something. I think that’s the problem because I have so many ideas! It’s hard to choose and then I don’t do any of them, and I’m like, why? So I need to just pick a thing and go! So that was my queer nature thing, I just picked that and did it, and now I am sharing with you. So, I hope you like it! Hope you have a great day! I love you so much, and I’ll talk to you soon!
CLICK HERE FOR QUEER NATURE PDF
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Ecosexual Time Capsule ❤ part 1
Before I started focusing on nude photography, I took a lot of photos like this:
These are from 2010-2012…. did you notice that this ^^^ is a POPLAR TREE?! ❤❤❤
My giant tattoo is a Poplar, in case you didn’t know 😍
Then once I found the nude art/traveling creator community online, I really dove into creating nude images, + started seriously sharing them in 2014.
Here’s me in a wildflower field off the side of a highway in NC, 2015!
On the side of a mountain in NC, 2016
At a trail near my apartment, 2016
In the woods near my apartment, 2016
In May of 2016 I lost the use of my right hand for 3 months, + during that time went on a road trip to Utah with Antisocialdisposition
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Ecosexual memes!!
I was sharing memes on instagram that included nude images but deleted them all when ig did their most recent update to the terms of service because I was scared of getting my account deleted AGAIN. My original account with 22.6k followers got deleted in October 2018 and I never got it back, so I really would like that to NOT happen again.
I still love the memes that I made and want to share them, so here are some of the ones that I used to have on my ig before I deleted them!
Original caption:
I first heard about ecosexuality through Charles Eisenstein’s essay “The Ecosexual Awakening” and ever since then my life has changed. I now see my entire life through an ecosexual lens. I truly believe that ecosexuality can assist in healing our society and our world.
I personally avoid saying “mother Earth” because mothers are (unfortunately, thanks to patriarchy) frequently exploited. It’s assumed that mothers are required to do all or most of the housework, cooking, childcare, etc and their work usually is unpaid and unappreciated. I have no intention of doing this to my actual mother or to the Earth.
My relationship to the Earth is one of reverence, worship, wonder, and love. I view the Earth as a best friend, teacher, partner, and lover. I strive to live my life in loving relationship to the Earth and receive such immense pleasure from simply being with and spending time with the Earth.
The Earth is sacred. We must treat it as sacred.
Photo, model + meme: me, Bunny Luna (self portrait in Utah during my 2019 cross country road trip)
Original caption:
I personally use both ecosexual and demisexual as my primary sexual and romantic identities. Ecodemisexual maybe? Can I make that a thing? I think I will! It’s my own label so I am able to use what works best for ME.
If you consider yourself an ecosexual, you’re able to use that label in the way that works best for you. Anyone who says you SHOULD or HAVE TO use a label doesn’t have the right to do that, only you get to decide what label(s) work(s) best for you. The label(s) you use may or may not change over time, and that’s okay! Only you know what label(s) describe you best. How you identify is up to you, not anyone else.
Do you consider yourself an ecosexual? I have a feeling that more people probably are than they realize, simply because most people aren’t aware of what ecosexuality is. The understanding of labels makes it easier for us to know which ones are right for us.
Photo/model/meme: me, Bunny Luna (self portrait in Utah)
Original caption:
Ecosexuality as an identity/label covers a broad range of experiences and in my opinion can be used to describe many different things about someone. For example: sexual attraction to others (including the Earth) while also covering a range of sexual desires (from asexual to allosexual), the importance of ecological health and healing to an individual, and their understanding of the interconnectedness of all beings, creatures, ecosystems, and life on Earth.
For me, as an agender trans person, most sexuality labels didn’t feel like they fit me because of the gender component of a lot of LGBTQIA+ labels, some are too narrow and some are too broad. It took me a long time to find a label that fit me, that felt GOOD to use and felt TRUE to my lived experience. Ecosexuality allows me to explain my attraction to others in a way that includes the nuance of my gender, my demisexuality, and my passion and love for the Earth.
To be specific, I am ecodemi, and for me that means I am attracted to people of many gender expressions, and it’s the connection and interaction that I have with them, and the way they show up in the world, that determines my attraction to them.
Your specific definition of your ecosexuality may be similar to mine, or it may be completely different. That’s the beauty and magic of ecosexuality, as long as it includes the Earth as a lover, it can mean something different for each of us.
What’s your flavor of ecosexuality? Comment below, I’d love to hear your perspective/experience!
Photo/model/meme: me, Bunny Luna (self portrait in Utah)
Original caption:
Have you ever seen a flower dripping with dew on a spring morning and marveled at its beauty and eroticism, feeling the urge to put your mouth on its delicate petals?
Have you ever felt your body come alive after jumping naked into a river, flushed with excitement and pleasure?
Have you ever become aroused while surrounded by a forest of tall thick trees, their presence changing something deep inside of you?
Do you yearn for the warmth of the sun’s rays on your skin, the cool squish of mud between your toes, the gentle breeze softly reminding you that we all exist on an Earth that offers infinite sensual pleasures?If you feel a connection to any of those questions, or a longing for these sensual experiences, you might be an ecosexual.
What is your favorite way to connect to the erotic, sensual Earth?
Photo/model/meme: me, Bunny Luna (self portrait in Utah)
Original caption:
I want to talk about two topics that honestly deserve their own individual posts: sex and consent.
Let’s rethink our definition of what sex is. In this cisheteropatriarchal society, we are conditioned to believe that sex is P in V penetration. This definition excludes many people from the sex conversation, including but not limited to queer and disabled folks.
I invite us to redefine sex as any consensual, meaningful, pleasurable experience. This gives ALL of us room to define what sex is to us, individually. This means that a lot of us are probably having sex much more than we ever thought we were before.
Notice that this definition of sex includes CONSENT? This is extremely important, because if you don’t have consent, then it’s not sex, it’s rape.
Consent in relationship to the Earth is just as important as consent with people. It is possible to communicate with and receive consent from the Earth, it just doesn’t include the language that we are used to (verbal consent). Consent from the Earth may come in the form of an energetic pull or a felt sense knowing. It may come in the form of a dream or a whisper in the wind. It may come in the form of a being joining you in meditation to give you a message or a sign.
Consent with the Earth isn’t always as straightforward as consent with people. We have to listen harder, feel deeper, and trust that the Earth will share their message with us when they are ready. We must not rush, or push, or pry, or force. We must be quiet, and open to receive.
Have you received consent from the Earth? What was that experience like for you?
Photo/model/meme: me, Bunny Luna (self portrait in Utah)
Original caption:
If we have learned one thing from this pandemic, it’s that we are ALL interconnected. This doesn’t only involve the interconnectedness of people, but also our connection to animals, plants, insects, bacteria, forests, oceans, deserts, rivers. We all exist together on this planet, we are all connected, and we all influence each other whether we realize it or not.
Part of my personal ecosexuality is recognizing the impact of colonization, cisheteropatriarchy, white supremacy, capitalism, racism, ageism, ableism (…all the -isms). Recognizing that these systems of oppression exist and impact each other and every one of us (including the Earth). As beings existing on this planet at this time we are all a part of these systems, whether we realize it or not, whether we see the direct impact we make or not.
This also means that we each individually have the potential to make POSITIVE CHANGE in ourselves and our communities, which in turn impacts the rest of the planet. Every action and every inaction adds up for each and every one of us.
Imagine what the world would be like if we all collectively chose to live in right relationship with the Earth and each other. If we all actively put in the work to decolonize societies and the planet. If we all live from a heart-centered place, with healthy boundaries and an understanding of how powerful we are. If we all live our lives from a place of love, compassion, generosity, and empathy instead of from a place of fear and separation. This is the world I want to live in.
When did you first realize how connected you are to the rest of the world?
Photo/model/meme: me, Bunny Luna (self portrait in Utah)
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MEMES! Gender, labels, + consent, oh my!
I was sharing memes on instagram that included nude images but deleted them all when ig did their most recent update to the terms of service because I was scared of getting my account deleted AGAIN. My original account with 22.6k followers got deleted in October 2018 and I never got it back, so I really would like that to NOT happen again.
I still love the memes that I made and want to share them, so here are some of the ones that I used to have on my ig before I deleted them!
Original caption:
Photo: Chip Willis
Model + meme: me, Bunny LunaI am angry today so I am channeling that anger into making my first ever meme. Hah, it’s funny that I’m choosing this as my first post since my hibernation. (TW: breach of consent) This meme is dedicated to the TWO middle aged white men who assumed it was okay to touch me without consent yesterday.
They obviously felt entitled to my body because I have a vulva and am younger than them? One rubbed my freshly cut hair on the top of my head, without asking or commenting or anything, just touched me out of nowhere. The other literally pulled me by the arm so I could pose for him in front of some photos of mine, and then proceeded to move my arm to get me to pose in a certain way. He didn’t even ASK if I wanted to take a photo. I told him my rates, and he laughed.
Original caption:
Labels are complicated, and have the potential to be both positive AND negative. As someone who has learned a lot about themself over the last year, and changed quite a bit, labels have been something I’ve honestly struggled with. It’s easy to say that labels are not important, and they don’t have to be if you don’t want them to, but for some people they’re incredibly important, especially when you’re trying to figure out who you are.
Labels are positive in that they help us figure out what space we occupy in the world, they help us describe ourselves to others, and they help us find community and people who are similar to us. Labels can be negative when people assume incorrect things about us, put is in boxes that don’t fit us, or when they refuse to see us for who we really are.
It feels awful to be labeled as something you’re not, and it feels amazing and is so affirming when someone uses the correct label(s) to describe you. No matter what, only YOU can choose what labels are right for you. There is nobody who knows you better than yourself.
Some labels that I personally use because they feel right and true for me: non binary, queer, ecosexual, non monogamous, artist, witch, demisexual, creative, sproutling (my mom came up with this to describe me to others instead of saying that I’m her adult child and I love it!)
What labels do you use that feel authentic to you?
Self portrait taken in Utah during my 69 day cross country road trip in 2019 (before I cut my hair obviously).
Original caption:
Never touch anyone without their explicit consent. Yes, this includes hugs with friends and family, asking or talking about someone’s tattoos/clothes/hair, directing a model for a photoshoot, posing with another model, kissing your crush…
The ONLY exception to this that I can think of is if that person is in immediate danger and there is literally no time to ask for consent.
Keep in mind, consent is not only for physical touch. You should also get consent when flirting with someone, commenting on someone’s body, sharing difficult or potentially triggering information, sharing a story someone told you with someone else, posting photos of people… basically if it involves someone else, you probably need their consent.
Have something to share about consent? I’d love to read your thoughts/stories in the comments!
Words: Douglas Pierce
Photo + meme: me, Bunny Luna (self portrait in Utah)
I didn’t save the caption for this one, but it’s pretty self explanatory. =]
Original caption:
I am not the person I was a year ago, or last week, or yesterday. You probably aren’t either. We are all on perpetual journeys of growth and expansion. Every day we learn something about ourselves, every day we become a newer version of who we know ourselves to be.
Without change there is no innovation, no deeper understanding, no growth. You are a bottomless ocean filled with gifts unknown, until you dive in and explore your depths.
Photo + meme: me, Bunny Luna (self portrait in Colorado)
Original caption:
I recently had a really difficult conversation about my gender with a family member who is unwilling to do the work to understand and accept me for who I am. Their response to my being non binary was that I’ going through an “identity crisis” and it’s something that I’ll “grow out of” once I figure myself out.
It’s especially frustrating to me that they feel that way, because I know myself better now that I ever have. I know that I can’t make them see me for who I truly am, and that’s their work to do, not mine. It still hurts that someone I love doesn’t actually know me and instead chooses to only see me as the person they thought I was when I was younger and didn’t know myself.
I will continue to correct them when they misgender me (which is something I am constantly struggling with and tend to just stay quiet about it), because I want them to know that this is ME, not an “identity crisis” that I’ll “grow out of”
Sending lots of love to all of my trans siblings who have to deal with this every day. It’s really hard, and you deserve to be honored and acknowledged in your gender. I see you. I honor you. You are valid and important and I love you for WHO YOU ARE.
Photo/meme: me, Bunny Luna (self portrait in Colorado)
Original caption:
I moved through the first 28ish years of my life carrying the layers of expectations and assumptions of society that were thrown on top of me as a child before I knew I had any other option. Now that I know more about how the world works, I realize that I’ve been holding on to many things that are not truly mine. Parts of me buckled under that oppressive weight of binary gender, compulsory cis hetero monogamy, religion, racism, and capitalism (among others).
I am choosing to let go of the layers of anything that is not for the benefit of myself and the earth. It is a constant shedding, and it is not easy, but it is worth it. I wake every day with less of what isn’t mine so that I can understand what truly IS for me. I learn who I am by questioning.
Self portrait in Colorado
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VIRTUAL NUDE GATHERING TOMORROW
The virtual nude gathering is tomorrow at 1pm eastern!
Let’s hang out naked together in a non sexual context!
All the info is at the link below
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR THE NUDE GATHERING
USE CODE ‘BLMBR’ TO GET IN FREE
Image: Bunny Luna August 2019
Models left to right: Leopold, me, anon, Canischromatis, anon
Location: my home in Charlotte NC